Prem Rawat (Prem Pal Singh Rawat) whose devotees call him Maharaji (meaning Ultimate Ruler) first came to attention in the West as Guru Maharaj Ji - the self-proclaimed Perfect Master and Lord of the Universe ridiculed in the media as a fat, squeaky-voiced God boy. He had inherited his titles and position as the Satguru, The True Revealer of Light and Spiritual Master of the Divine Light Mission, India (Divya Sandesh Parishad) when his father died in 1966. His father, Hans Rawat, was a successful Indian guru, self titled HRH (His Royal Highness) Yogiraj Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj. As a child the youngest Rawat son was informally called Sant Ji, more formally Balyogeshwar ("Born King of the Yogis") and even more formally Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Sant Ji Maharaj. In the West Rawat dropped these more verbose titles in the early 1980's and instructed his followers to call him Maharaji. He has also changed the names of his organisations many times: Divine Light Mission (DLM), World Welfare Association (WWA), World Peace Corps (WPC) and Divine United Organisation (DUO) became Elan Vital in the early 1980's and in 2001 The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) was created and from 2010 his major orgs are Words Of Peace Global (WOPG) registered in Holland, Words of Peace International (WOPI) in the USA, HDSK (Human Development through Self Knowledge) in Great Britain and Raj Vidya Kender (Royal Knowledge Society) in India. He no longer claims to be an Incarnation of God but an internationally famous humanitarian leader and teacher of peace. He's neither.

Savoldelli (left) and Jacques Sandoz filming in India (November 1971) Shri Hans Productions: The Lord of The Universe

In 1971 a young Swiss, Reto Andrea Savoldelli, arranged to make a film called "Stella Da Falla" with himself as the eponymous hero and funding from national Swiss Television SF. He hired Jacques Sandoz as the cameraman and they wrote a quest film about a wondrous and strange trip around the world. The film has more in common with medieval mystery plays than with most modern films, as it is rich in symbols and mystery and low in explanation. In some unexplained past, Stella Da Falla on horseback and hunting with a bow and arrow, meets with his father, who is wearing armor, and tells him it is time for him to experience the world.

As Savoldelli and Sandoz had "received Knowledge" they filmed in Prem Nagar Ashram (Hardwar), in the Rawat's family home with MataJi in Dehra Dun, and at festivals in Delhi and Patna. Rawat, Gurucharanand and Ashokanand stayed for some days at Savoldelli's place of film business in Hemberg, Switzerland in October 1972 before leaving Switzerland. Naturally Rawat went on a shopping trip to Zürich where he bought sunglasses and opened a Swiss Bank Account. Sandoz then took the freshly developed 16mm film from the Laboratory Cinegram in Zürich to make this film "The Lord of the Universe" for Shri Hans Productions.

The excerpts of Rawat speaking in English are difficult to understand because of the poor audio quality and because they do not make much sense. The callow Western devotees' satsangs are positively Churchillian by comparison. Further Comments by the Webmaster are in italics.

lotu023_0002 lotu025_0001 lotu027_0001 lotu028_0001

Six months ago several hundred followers welcomed 13 year old Guru Maharaj Ji in the West for the first time. He arrived in London on the first stage of his "Peace Tour" which was to take him to France, Germany, Switzerland, the United States of America and Canada. Everywhere that he went, thousands of people came to hear his discourse. Many of them received the practical Knowledge of Truth from him (sound track inaudible: talks about 400 Westerners leaving London airport and flying to India.)

Scenes of the young Rawat arriving at London airport. Premies run to crouch down and pranam and touch his feet as he passes by.

The first chartered Boeing 707 airlift of 400 Western premies flies to India

The most impressive thing an Indian Godman can have (to Indians) is Western devotees so they were out early on the Delhi streets shouting and showing themselves, like it or not.

The Ram Lila Grounds scene of the Hans Jayanti festival

Rawat flies in later so the Western devotees can be seen to greet him at the front of the huge crowd

Mahatma Sampuranand leads the arti-tray waving and isn't that Mahatma Blissedoutanand, (Mahatma Saphlanand formerly Brian Pitt, singled out in the crowd.

Hans Jayanti festival, Ram Lila grounds, Delhi, 9th November, 1971

Guru Maharaj Ji: Duality, everybody wants to be the owner of duality. Everybody says "You are that fellow, you are that fellow, you are Minister, you are Prime Minister, you are President, you are gipsy. So if you ???? go to Prime Minister, either to present and these other constitutions, these are the laws that made in to Delhi ??? go into parliament and say "This is it, this is it and distinguish the dualities in everybody's heart, in everybody's, and everybody's character and everybody's humanity. And what else they're doing in this parliament? They cannot come to one point and argue, they argue, argue, argue. Sometimes they will start fighting in parliament just because they are missing this absolute thing but once they get this absolute Knowledge, absolute Peace, absolute satisfaction of mind no more there will be no parliament but there is a main thing, the commandment of God, that is what we are waiting and commandment of God is before us but unfortunately we are not responding very well to whatever are the commandments. Everybody wants to negotiate about whatever, whatever this Knowledge is, whatever the Word(world?) is. Everybody's trying to use this complete intellect in this world but remember this intellect won't help you for a long time. Time is very short ???, time is very short and in this short time we are ???? and where we will be ??? at 1,000 miles per hour. Now we have to just hang on this Knowledge and rush to meditation. Just do meditation, do meditation because meditation is that feeling good. So make a proper realisation of your lifetime, your lifetime has been given to you, God is not crazy that he has given you this lifetime, is he? God is good, God is, you know, beautiful but you can't understand what is your game(?).

Voice over: One year ago in 1970, the largest procession the world has ever seen was taken out in Delhi. Twenty miles long, it took 10 hours to pass and brought over 1 million devotees to India Gate in the centre of Delhi. Here GMJ addressed them and said "Give me your love and I will give you eternal peace." He would establish the Golden Age of universal love and brotherhood in the world by revealing the Knowledge of Absolute Truth, the source of peace within us all.

Guru Maharaj Ji: Just ?? understand what the personal experience of this life, there is a concentrated age, all the ??? are being respected in this age and they are to be concentrated, they are to be put on the one point of peace, of satisfactions.

The scene shifts to a very naff singer whose song is used for the soundtrack to a darshan line. Why do darshan lines in films always have musical soundtracks?


I don't want to be a rock and roll star
Like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones
I just want to sing love songs to my guru

On this long rugged road I've been travelling
There's a light that brings me brightly to your door
And this ever constant tide
sweeps me tight back to your side
Though each trail I blaze is new
They all lead back to you
You're the ever shining love light of my life

I've loved you so
You leave my other loves behind
1,000 love songs are dancing sweetly through my mind
Though the years may come and go
My love will only grow.

Darshan oneupmanship, premie first lies on ground before getting up and bowing down and kissing the Lotus Feet

Voice over: From every corner of the world devotees have gathered to sing and praise the glories of Guru Maharaj Ji who they call the Saviour of Mankind. People of all nationalities and religions are here to show their love and devotion to thee young Master who ahs shown them the way to transcend all differences of caste, colour and religion. Here Hindu and Muslim, black and white, rich and poor have all come together in total brotherhood having realised the one universal father dwelling within all hearts.

Hans Jayanti festival, Ram Lila grounds, Delhi, 10th November, 1971. The young Rawat gives satsang in Hindi

Voice over: One does not have to understand Hindi to experience Guru Maharaj Ji's spiritual discourse. This discourse, or satsang, is a vibration that penetrates direct to the heart.



Prem Nagar is very sweet
With Cream of Wheat (semolina)
And Lotus Feet

These two could be Lynn Dominico who wrote the song and "Joy from the Bliss Band" (based on Shauna's 40 year old memories)


The Lord of the Universe
Has come to us this day
The Lord of the Universe
Has come to us this day
And He's come to show us Light
And He's come to show us Love
And He's come to show us the Way
Back to our Father.

Open up your heart to the Universe of Love
And He will fill you up.

Ashram life is a natural way of life where a person hears and speaks satsang, meditates under the practical guidance of the Divine Master, does service and lives with this Satguru Maharaji and experiences the amazing Grace of the Lord

Young American: What does he want?
Indian voice: Guru Maharaj Ji for you?
Young American: For me uh Guru Maharaj Ji's sort of uh answers every prayer I ever made, to God you know. He, he's living proof of uh of God's existence you know that that God really can come into my life, really can form a personal relationship with, with human beings and really can save them you know from the pain of the world, you know. Like ah so many people live you know throughout throught their whole lives in pain never knowing God never thinking above their normal way of living and Guru Maharaj Ji comes pulls us up, makes us see, you know and just uh gives us heaven on earth really really give us Child: Guru Maharaj Ji is my father. That's all, he's everything to me.
European adult: Is everything, everything you want it to be. Guru Maharaj Ji is everything that is ever a reflection of every individual. He's everything to me that I ever looked for and He's getting stronger and stronger.
Young man: He's everything in the whole world


Suzie "Bai" Whitten:
Green were the hills I used to roam
Then I heard you call and I came home
Now I will stay right at your side
For I have now become your bride
Oh my Lord I live within your light
For me now there is no night
My whole heart longs just for one
In loving Him I've just begun

Background Soundtrack: Amazing Grace


Sometimes I would sit in the forest and I would hear the birds sing and I would always this that they were trying to tell me something and I would hear the wnd blowing through the trees and I would think that Nature was trying to communicate some message to me and the I would go and listen to the sound of the water rushing in the stream and I'd feel the coolness of the water, the freshness of the water and I'd feel some message coming towards me but I didn't quite understand what the message was. I never could understand it because I didn't know that living stream within me. I didn't know those birds singing within me. I didn't know that breeze blowing within me. When you smell a rose it is telling us something but we must have that way of knowing that fragrance within and if we go to one who knows, a Perfect Realised Soul, He can take us totaht place and we can understand that message Nature is trying to tell us at every moment. I have finally understood now what Nature has been telling me because I have realised it within me.

Joan Apter: To me, I have really nothing to say. All I know is that Guru Maharaj Ji is perfect, that Guru Maharaj Ji whole personality is Light and it is that personality which He gives us, that perfection which He gives us, it causes us to love because all the time we are searching for that perfection. Guru Maharaj Ji is perfect and that in itself is a mystery and that mystery He gives to us. The mystery of perfection which He really is.

My guru.
That was your guru? And what was his name?
My father.
And who
My father was my guru.
And who was his?
Do you know what a darshan is?
No
Seeing of the Spiritual Master (girl giggles) Whatever is a ??? If you are not conformed about it, we conform it. ??? If you are not conformed about it ??? Whatever is better, whatever is better than this, do that.
Girl: Should I stop doing service then if all the time I'm doing service I'm thinking "Oh I'm going to get there so much quicker?"
??? pronounce your Name?
Well you can pronounce the adjective, by all means but not the noun. You can, by all means, prnce pronounce adjective but not the noun. Okay? (general laughter Okay) Okay? (Okay) Understood?

Song:
Little drops of mercy from the guru
Fall and splaatter become oceans of bright light
Little drops of mercy from the guru
Fall and splatter become oceans of bright light
Little drops of grace
Come and splash me in the face
And I leave my physical place
As well as this silly human race
Little drops of grace
Come and splash me in the face
And I leave my physical place
As well as this silly human race
Wooo
Only 13 years of age
But he seems like such a sage
Though his class is only nine
Well His Knowledge is Divine
Little drops of mercy from the guru
Fall and splatter become oceans of bright light

Jagat Jnani Mata Ji, Mother of the Universe, Holy Mother of Guru Maharaj Ji bowing with flowers of love before the immortal sacred ashes of Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, the father of Shri Guru Maharaj Ji

On his 14th birthday the young Rawat is crowned with the regalia of Krishna and Arti is sung by Western and Indian premies

Raja Rawat cannot swing an arti tray and sing at the same time

We wish you the Happiest Birthday: Oh Lord we are not here to wish that we may be happy but that you may be; And we know that your happiness is that we remember you constantly

The movie ends on an upbeat note with a fancy dress party, a darshan line, hippie dancing (as bad as it gets) and a slomo stroll in the woods, with the young Lord of the Universe followed by some worshipping premies all to the strident accompaniment of 'Bolero' by Ravel


Jacques Sandoz with camera

See  Site Policy  for statement regarding copyright for this material.

Prem Rawat's "Knowledge" has three parts: regularly listening to his speeches, doing voluntary work for organisations serving him or donating money and daily meditation correctly practicing the four techniques he recommends. The techniques are so simple it's hard to see how they could be practiced incorrectly. First technique ("Divine Light") involves sticking your thumb and middle finger on your eyeballs (NB: with eyes closed) and your index finger between your eyebrows. Second technique: ("Heavenly Music") poking your thumbs into your ears and listening. Third technique: ("Holy Name") thinking about your breathing (NB: continue to breathe). Fourth technique: ("Nectar") curling your tongue backwards and tasting. Rawat's father taught slightly different techniques but either way it's difficult to see how these could produce the benefits claimed for them especially as Rawat claims His Knowledge is the only method of attaining real happiness and love in this life.